An unlikely partnership
by AikaRikaru
Summary: With most of the Akatsuki members on break, Itachi and Hidan have to team up for a retrieval mission. The raven-haired man has been hiding feelings for Hidan for a long time, and he's anxious to see how their mission will go. Points of view change between Itachi and Hidan throughout the story. BoyxBoy. Rated M for language.
1. Chapter 1

_~Itachi's Point of View~_

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><p>The Akatsuki's main base was unusually filled. Everyone except Pein, Konan, and Zetsu were held up in the large cave. Apparently Deidara and Sasori had been given a couple of weeks off from missions, so they were focusing on their artwork. And no doubt arguing about it...<p>

Kisame and I happened to return from a mission about the same time as Hidan and Kakuzu. Once we had finished giving Pein our report, he informed us that Kisame and Kakuzu were to have extended time off from missions. The two of them were exhausted beyond measure, and I couldn't blame them. Most of the missions Kisame and I had been going on as of late were mostly combat situations. So Kisame tended to take the lead on those sorts of assignments.

And I suppose Kakuzu was just fed up with Hidan. Ah Hidan,the obnoxious man who was just a year older than I. He had somehow managed to catch my attention and my heart. I'd somehow fallen for him. I wasn't sure how it happened, but his face plagued my thoughts constantly. I was actually quite happy to know that Hidan and I were the only two who didn't have time off. That meant there was a chance we might actually get sent on a mission together. I collapsed onto my bed and let out a heavy sigh. _"What I would give to spend even a little time alone with him..."_

My eyes were becoming heavy and I was just about to give in to sleep when there was a knock on the door. I groaned and reopened my eyes. "Yes?"

"Yo, Uchiha, it's Hidan. We gotta mission from Pein, says it's real important. We're to set out for the land of iron to collect some important documents."

My heart jumped in excitement. I was actually getting a chance to be alone with Hidan. I got off of my bed and walked over to the door and opened it. "All right. Is there a set time we need to retrieve the documents, or is this a mission that we can set our own pace on?"

Hidan brought a hand up to play with his hair. "Nah man, Pein said to take our time since everyone else is here at the base. So we can head on out as soon as you're ready." He cocked his head to the side and smirked. "I do have one request though; try not to treat me like I'm a worthless piece of shit like Kakuzu does."

I had to suppress a smile at his words. "You need not worry about that. Give me a moment to gather up a few things and we can set out." I turned around and walked over to my small dresser to collect various weapons and supplies. I packed everything inside of the pouches that were adorning my waist. I could feel Hidan's eyes on me the whole time, and I can't say I _disliked_ the feeling. "Hidan, I am curious," I turned around to face him. "did you think staring at me the whole time would make me pack faster?"

Hidan was smirking at me and let out a menacing laugh. "Nah, just felt like staring." He stepped back into the hallway. "Okay, Uchiha, I guess this means we can head on out now. I'm also just gonna assume that you're gonna take the lead and I'm to only speak when spoken to, follow orders, that sort of thing?"

I tilted my head and looked at him in confusion. "Is working with Kakuzu really that bad? Or is my reputation that bad? I thought we'd just take our time and work together. It's a simple retrieval mission, there shouldn't be any need for us to boss each other around."

Hidan's eyes lit up. "Hell yeah working with Kakuzu is that bad!" He smiled happily after saying that. "Itachi my friend, I think I see a beautiful partnership in the works." He grabbed a hold of my wrist and started dragging me down the stairs.

My heart stopped in my chest. "I can walk on my own you know..." Ah, keeping up appearances around Hidan is going to be hard work. _"It's taking all of my effort not to slip my hand into his..."_ I sighed at how pathetic I was being. I, Itachi Uchiha, who slaughtered his own clan, was in love. How absolutely pathetic.

Hidan simply shrugged it off and turned back to wink at me. "Maybe I just wanted to hold your wrist." He continued to drag me along until we exited the base, and then he laughed. "Oh relax Uchiha, it was just a simple joke, don't take everything so seriously."

I stared at the complicated man in front of me and huffed. "Let's just head for the land of iron now..." I ducked my head to hide my oncoming blush, and quickly shuffled ahead of him. _"This, is not going to be easy."_ I was very fortunate that I got my breathing under control by the time Hidan caught up to me.

The two of us walked side by side from there on out. Hidan was talking about anything and everything, and seemed very happy that he wasn't being ignored or interrupted. I couldn't help but laugh at a few of his stupid jokes. He was so energetic and happy over everything.

Hidan looked over at me and grinned. "Damn, you totally just laughed at my joke."

I tilted my head at him as we stopped walking. "Why, does that surprise you?"

Hidan chuckled. "Well, y'know, Kakuzu is kind of stiff with no sense of humor whatsoever. Damn jerk never laughs at my jokes, never listens when I talk, and usually scolds me for talking too much." He grinned at me again. "I dunno man, you just kind of listen attentively, and let me get it all out of my system."

I frowned. _"Does Kakuzu really treat him that badly?" _I stared at Hidan for a moment, trying to figure out how anyone could possibly mistreat him. Especially with that messy silver hair, that menacing smile, and those alluring purple eyes. I let out a longing sigh. _"Oh how I love those eyes..." _

Hidan gulped and scratched the side of his face. "Uhm, hey man, why're ya starin' at me like I'm somethin' to eat?"

That immediately snapped me out of my thoughts and I could feel my face heat up. I bit my bottom lip and shook my head. "Hn..." I once again made haste to get in front of Hidan as a way to hide my embarrassment. _"I'm so foolish. What was I thinking staring at him like that?" _

"Yo, Itachi! Wait up!" Hidan caught up in a matter of seconds and stopped right in front of me. "Hey, your face is all red. You got a fever or something?" He didn't give me time to respond before opening his mouth again. "That's cool man, you're willing to risk your health for the sake of the mission. But it'd probably be a good idea if we found a village by nightfall."

I gave a simple nod in reply. "That's still a few hours away, so let's keep walking."

The two of us resumed walking side by side along the pathway. After another hour or so, I was beginning to think I did have a fever. Something felt off to me...I was beginning to feel light-headed, and before I knew it, the ground was spinning. _"Wait, the ground...?"_ I must have gotten too dizzy to realize that I was falling.

Before I had the misfortune of collapsing on the ground, I was caught in a very warm pair of arms and pressed against a very firm torso. I strained my eyes to see who it was, Hidan. _"Of course it's Hidan, who else would it be...?" _I groaned softly and my eyes were becoming too heavy to keep open.

Hidan held me securely against his chest. "Hey..." His voice was quieter than usual, and held a sort of gentleness to it. "You okay?"

I groaned again and shook my head. My eyes were too heavy, so I finally gave in and closed them. I relaxed against Hidan's chest and started to fall asleep. "Hn...tired..."

"Hey wait a Jashin damned second; you can't fall asleep on me now. We can't be more than two hours away from the nearest village." He shook my body gently. "Come on now man..."

I coughed as a bout of nausea rushed through me. I turned in his arms and pressed all of my weight against him. _"This may be the first time I'm actually __**happy **__I'm having an attack from the illness..."_ I nuzzled my face into his chest and became very comfortable. _"He's so unbelievably warm."_

Hidan let out a heavy sigh. "Fine, fine." He let go of me with one arm, which I assumed was so he could put his scythe down. He scooped me up in his arms and slung me over his back. "Damn Itachi, I think you're lighter than the scythe." He no doubt picked the scythe back up with the intention of carrying it by hand the rest of the way. "I'm just gonna assume you got some sort of health thing goin' on, and carry you. Get some sleep and don't even _think_ about protesting, you got me?"

I tightened my grip on Hidan and nodded against his shoulders. "Hn...sleep, no protesting..." I yawned softly and nuzzled into him. "...Understood."I heard Hidan sigh as he resumed walking down the path. I could feel myself drifting in and out of consciousness for several minutes before finally giving in to sleep.

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><p><em>~Hidan's Point of View~<em>

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><p>After another ten minutes of walking I could tell that Itachi had fallen asleep. His arms were wrapped snugly around my neck and his face was pressed tightly into my shoulder. I found it oddly comforting to listen to the sound of Itachi breathing. <em>"Damn, maybe I should have talked to Kisame before telling Itachi we had a mission. Although, it is kind of adorable that the great and almighty Itachi Uchiha is currently sleeping on my back..." <em>I smirked to myself when the thought crossed my mind.

Night had finally fallen by the time we reached a small village. Not bothering to conceal my weapon, I made my way to the nearest Inn. It looked like the only Inn the village had, but it was pretty damn nice. I approached the counter and smiled at the nervous looking woman. "Hey there, you gotta room for two by chance?"

The woman tried her best to smile back at me, but failed miserably. "I-I uh...yes. It's the last room we have available. How long will you be staying?"

I thought about that for a minute, and how it might be better for the both of us if Itachi had a few days to rest. "Let's make it two days." I placed a generous amount of money on the counter in hopes it was enough, and not _too_ much. _"I really hope I don't get scammed out of this payment, Kakuzu will kill me." _I chuckled to myself at the thought.

The woman seemed rather scared by my sudden laugh, but she handed me the room key nonetheless. "Uhm, go up the stairs there and your room will be the last one on the left...please enjoy your stay."

"Thank you!" I hauled Itachi and my scythe up the stairs and made my way to the end of the hall. There was an oval shaped mirror hanging on the wall in between the last two rooms, and I got a glimpse of how peaceful Itachi looked. I turned my attention to the door on the left and unlocked it. Upon entering the room and turning the light on, I noticed that it was a decent size; balcony straight ahead, small bathroom to the right, small lounging area on the same side as the bathroom, and the double bed was on the left. Wait, what?

I stared at the bed in disbelief. _"Well fuck." _I set my scythe against the bathroom wall, and walked over to the bed. I carefully took Itachi off of my back and placed him on the bed. I removed all of his ninja gear so that he was left in just his shirt and pants. I placed them in a not-so-neat pile on the left bedside table. I took everything of mine off save for my pants and necklace. My stuff I just dumped on the floor in the corner of the room.

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed in frustration. _"When I told the stupid cunt I wanted a room for two, I meant two __**separate**__ beds. Not one big bed for two people..." _I was just about to tuck Itachi into the left side of the bed, when he started to shift.

His eyes slowly started to blink a few times before they were open completely. He groaned softly and scanned the part of the room he could see. After a moment, his eyes locked on to mine. "Hidan? Where are we?"

I put my hands up in surrender. "Look man, we're at the only Inn this village seems to have, and I told the dumb bitch downstairs I wanted a room for two, and she said this was the last room. But I swear to you I didn't know it only had one bed. I'll sleep on the floor or the couch or something and just—"

Itachi stopped my sentence short by waving a hand at me in dismissal. "It's fine Hidan, sharing a bed for one night isn't going to kill us."

I scratched the side of my face. "Uh yeah, about that...I kind of thought you'd be better off resting for a few days, so we wouldn't be slowed down, so I booked the room for two days."

Itachi's eyes seemed to light up after hearing that. "Either way it's not going to kill us." He started to say something else but seemed hesitant. He continued to keep his eyes locked on mine for several minutes. "Is it all right if I go back to sleep?"

"Huh? Course it's all right. That's the whole point of the room." I yawned and scratched the back of my neck. "Think I'm gonna get some sleep too. After all, I was lugging something heavy while walking for two hours straight."

Itachi had this look of guilt on his face and frowned. "Hidan, I'm sorry, you could have woken me up."

I laughed heartily at his comment. "Oh you don't have to apologize Uchiha, I was talking about my scythe. That thing is so damn heavy. You weren't heavy at all, it was kind of nice listening to you sleep." I winked at him before turning off the lights and crawling into the bed beside him. I laid down on the right side flat on my back. I let out another yawn before mumbling, "Night Uchiha."

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><p>I had been having a very peaceful dream about sacrificing the lives of innocent people to Lord Jashin, when I was <em>rudely<em> awakened by the sound of coughing. I groaned and sat up. "Who the fu—" I didn't finish my remark when I realized it must have been Itachi I heard coughing. He wasn't in the bed anymore, and the bathroom light was on. I listened to the sound of him coughing for several minutes before hearing the toilet flush. After a few more minutes I heard the sound of running water, followed by a small, pitiful cough. Once it got quiet, I laid back down and waited for him to come out.

It took another minute or two, but Itachi slowly made his way out of the bathroom. He crawled back into the bed, got under the blankets, and snuggled up against me. His entire body was trembling, and I couldn't suppress a yelp when his ice cold face came into contact with my chest. His teeth were chattering, and rather loudly at that.

I frowned and instinctively used my left hand to rub up and down his arm. "Hey man, you're ice cold. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Itachi pressed as closely to me as he could without having to climb on top of me. "...I got sick and most of what I threw up was blood..." He continued to tremble and press into me in a desperate attempt to get warm.

I sighed and wrapped both my arms around him. "Well come here then." I tucked the blanket tightly around the two of us and held him firmly against my bare chest. I rubbed my hands up and down his back and shoulders in an attempt to warm him up. "Damn Itachi."

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><p><em>~Itachi's Point of View~<em>

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><p>The heat was finally returning to my body and I no longer feared freezing to death. A part of me was thankful that I'd had an episode; it gave me a valid excuse to cuddle up to Hidan. He was still so very warm compared to me, and I didn't want to move.<p>

Hidan apparently had other plans, for he started to pull away.

I panicked. _"No, not yet...I need more time with him."_ I tightened my grip on Hidan's body and pressed my face into the crook of his neck. I all but climbed on top of him in the process. "H-Hidan, I'm not warm enough yet..."

Hidan sat up and looked down at me. "What do you mean you're not warm enough yet? You feel plenty warm to me and you stopped trembling." He looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face.

I frowned and shook my head. "Hidan, please..."

His expression changed to that of mild shock. He had this look in his eyes that said he _knew. _He nodded and laid back down, gently pulling me against his chest. He ran his hand up my back and gently cradled my head. His fingers began to gently massage my scalp, and he let out a soft yawn before nuzzling his face into my hair. "How long?"

I felt my heart skip a beat at his question. I took a deep breath and sighed. "Too long..." I nestled my head comfortably onto his chest and closed my eyes. "Far too long..."

He wrapped his arms around my waist and gave me a gentle squeeze. "Then for the rest of these two days we have this hotel room for, you can crawl into my arms at anytime your sickly heart desires."

His voice was soft and teasing as he spoke.

I managed a weak laugh and sighed contently against his chest. "What about when we're back at the base?"

Hidan went quite for a minute and then pressed a gentle kiss on my forehead. "As long as you're comfortable with the rest of the guys knowing how you feel about me, then you will always have a place in my arms, and a place on my chest."

I instantly felt a warmth that I hadn't felt in years. I climbed up on top of him and nestled into the crook of his neck. "Thank you Hidan." I smiled against his skin when I felt him wrap the blanket tightly around the two of us. "May I go back to sleep now?"

Hidan let out a raspy chuckle. "It's about time you selfish dick. You did wake me up after all." His voice was filled with playful mischief and he placed a big, wet kiss on the top of my head. "Sleep now little weasel. I'll be here when you wake up."

I brought my hands up to rest them on his chest and I sighed contently. I let out a soft yawn and nuzzled into him before closing my eyes. "Good night Hidan..." I fell asleep in Hidan's soft embrace, listening to the gentle sound of his soothing heartbeat. And I knew one thing was certain; this was going to be the most peaceful night's sleep I'd ever had.

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><p>AN: I decided to switch it up a bit, and write a story in multiple points of views. I ended this on a simple note, in case I don't write anymore chapters.

If it gets enough interest I'd be happy to write more.

Also, it was odd for me to write Hidan's lines, since the only cuss word I ever use is _hell_.

Story © Kaylin Johnson

Hidan and Itachi Uchiha © Masashi Kishimoto


	2. Chapter 2

_~Itachi's Point of View~_

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><p>Warm. I felt so very warm. I was curled up in a ball with the blanket wrapped tightly around me. The only thing outside of the blanket was my head. I nuzzled softly into the pillow beneath me and sighed contently. I heard a raspy chuckle from behind me. I groaned and nuzzled into the pillow again, I did <em>not<em> want to remove myself from this wondrous warmth.

"Hahaha, yo Uchiha, you're pretty cute when you don't wanna get outta bed."

I groaned again and pulled the blanket over my head. "Hidan, I never get to sleep in, so be quiet and let me do so in peace..."

Hidan scoffed and then chuckled again. "Dude, it's four in the afternoon. I'd say you have definitely slept in, my friend."

I jumped up and turned over to look at him. "W-What?"

His eyes lit up with mischief and he burst into laughter. "Nah man, I'm just screwin' with ya. It's only ten."

I stared at him in disbelief and allowed myself to pout. I picked up the pillow that was next to me and threw it at him. He must not have expected it, for it landed a direct blow to his face. "...That was uncalled for, don't you think?"

Hidan blinked and then smiled apologetically. "Ah sorry, sorry... I couldn't help myself." He made his way to the bed and crawled over to me. Hidan ran a hand through my loose hair and smiled softly. "Go back to sleep."

It was my turn to blink. _"He...is so gentle with me..."_ I slunk down in shyness, but I didn't make him remove his hand. "...Would you...stay with me?"

Hidan's expression softened and he nodded. "Sure thing, but first..." He brushed a thumb over my bottom lip. "There's something I want to try." He leaned in and gently pecked my lips.

I froze. My head started spinning, my eyes went wide with shock, and my heart stopped beating. I was so overrun with emotion that I didn't know how to respond, or rather; I was unable to respond. _"Hidan is...kissing me..."_ That was the only thought that was running through my mind, because it was just so unbelievable.

Hidan was apparently unfazed by the lack of response on my part, and continued to kiss me. He brought both of his hands up to cup my face, and tilted his head to get better access to my mouth.

I was slowly starting to melt away. I closed my eyes and began to kiss him back experimentally. After a moment or so, I started to become more comfortable with kissing and soon found myself pinned to the bed. I let out a desperate, needy groan when Hidan pulled away from me.

He looked down at me with a smug expression on his face. The lust was evident in his eyes as he continued to stare at me. After a few minutes, he suddenly leaned down and sunk his teeth into my neck.

I yelped in surprise as the sudden mixture of pain and pleasure ran through me. "H-Hidan!" My eyes slowly closed and I brought my hands up to his head. I bit my bottom lip to muffle my whimpers; as they were starting to make me sound pathetic.

He pulled his teeth out after another minute and quickly lapped up the remaining blood. He looked down at me with a satisfied expression before licking his lips slowly. "Hmm, you taste good."

My eyes went wide and I activated my Sharingan in fear. "Don't you even _think_ about using me for one of your rituals."

Hidan blinked. "Huh?" It took him a moment to get it, and then he put both of his hands up in surrender. "Whoa, no, no, no. Don't get the wrong idea, Itachi. I don't always use blood for rituals, sometimes I just enjoy the taste of it. You have my word that I will never use you for a ritual. Hell, I'll pinky promise you, if that's what it takes."

I slowly deactivated my Sharingan and let his words sink in. And then I found myself laughing at the childish remark at the end. "Okay." I sat up and tilted my head as I looked at him expectantly. "Hold me?"

His expression softened and he gave me a meaningful smile. "Yeah, come here." He opened his arms and pulled me into his chest. He placed his chin atop my head and inhaled slowly. "Get some more sleep, 'kay?"

My eyes became heavy and I nodded against his chest. "Okay." I was extremely content against his warm body, wrapped in his equally warm embrace. He propped himself up against the pillow and carefully took me with him. I nuzzled into the crook of his neck and yawned softly. Just as my body began to give in to sleep once more, I felt another attack coming on.

I shot my eyes open and immediately coughed up blood all over Hidan. I clutched at my heart in a desperate attempt to make the pain go away. I coughed up more and more blood; successfully staining Hidan's chest and face red. I started wheezing helplessly as I tried to catch my breath. I was suddenly aware of the fact that I could no longer breathe. I started to clutch at my throat frantically; blood was stuck and preventing air from reaching my lungs.

I felt Hidan quickly slam a fist into my stomach; causing me to cough up the blood that was lodged in my throat. I gasped desperately as the air returned to my lungs all at once.

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><p><em>~Hidan's Point of View~<em>

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><p>I watched in silent terror as Itachi regained his ability to breathe. I could feel his blood on my face, neck, and chest, but it didn't matter. The Uchiha was suffering and there was nothing I could do about it. "Damn Itachi, the fuck is wrong with you?"<p>

He opened his tired eyes and stared at me. "...Water, Hidan... I need water."

I let out a frustrated sigh when he didn't answer my question, but moved to get him water nonetheless. I took out a reusable water bottle from one of my pouches and filled it with water from the bathroom sink. After cleaning the blood from myself, I made my way back to the bed and slowly handed him the bottle. "Here."

His trembling hands took a hold of the bottle and he slowly brought it up to his lips. It appeared to take every ounce of energy Itachi had left to even _taste_ the water. He had only managed to drink about half of the bottle when he handed it back to me. His eyes looked heavy and I knew he was struggling to keep them open. His lips were trembling and he looked like he was on the verge of tears.

I sighed and set the bottle down on the bedside table. "Hey, come here." I opened my arms as I spoke. Once he moved towards me, I wrapped my arms around his body in a tight, but gentle embrace. I placed his face in the crook of my neck before gently resting my chin on the top of his head. I ran the fingers of my right hand through his long black locks; hoping it would bring him some form of comfort.

He immediately went limp in my arms and was completely dependent on my embrace to hold his body upright. He was silent for quite some time, the only noise coming from him was his uneven breathing. His body began to heave against mine, and his breath hitched in his throat.

I blinked and let out a stunned sigh. "Hey..." It was obvious to me now that he must have been crying for quite some time. I tightened my grip on the small man in my arms and sighed. "Are you in a lot of pain?"

He inhaled sharply before letting out a shaky breath. He brought his hands up and clutched at his heart again. "Nngh..." His body started to tremble, and I took that as a 'yes'.

I frowned. _"What the hell is wrong with Itachi? He always seems perfectly healthy, and in excellent condition. You can't tell me he only shows this side to Kisame?" _Thousands of thoughts ran through my head as I continued to stroke his hair. _"And if Itachi's been suffering from some sort of disease, then how long has he been dependent on Kisame? What happens if he has an attack on a solo mission?" _

My thoughts were interrupted the moment I felt Itachi sit up. He was looking at me with the biggest, saddest, black eyes I'd ever seen. "Forgive me, Hidan... You shouldn't have to take care of me like some bed-ridden child. I will be all right after I rest some more. You should go enjoy yourself in town."

I frowned at him. "I'm usually the first one to enjoy seeing a person in complete agony, but... with you, I hate it. It makes me feel sick inside. Especially when I think about how long you might have been suffering from whatever it is that you have. And how you hide it from everyone except Kisame, which can only mean you trust him dearly. I want to be like that. I want you to open up to me like you do with Kisame. And I know that's a hell of a lot to ask for, so I don't expect you to actu—''

Itachi suddenly interrupted my ramblings by crashing our lips together. The kiss was rather, well, _wet. _His face was drenched in tears, but he continued to kiss me. He shifted until he was sitting in my lap and deepened the kiss.

I was unsure at first, considering the man had just finished coughing up blood, but _damn. _The taste of it remained on his lips, and it tasted better than anything I'd ever had before. Sure I've had my fair share of blood over the years, but there was just something about _**his **_that drove me insane. My sadistic instincts started to kick in after tasting his blood. I quickly shoved Itachi onto his back and forced my way into his mouth.

He groaned and whimpered into my mouth and roughly grabbed my back. He began to dig his fingernails into my skin; which just fueled my desire.

I found myself wanting even more of his blood. I didn't hesitate to bite his bottom lip; I needed to satiate my sudden blood lust. I lapped up the blood from his lips and moved on to his neck. I gently nibbled a trail to his collarbone before sinking my teeth into his soft flesh. I had my hands on either side of his hips, and began to hold him in place. I wasn't very gentle about it either. I knew from past experience that I was using enough force to bruise his hipbones.

Itachi whimpered desperately. He began to squirm beneath me in an attempt to get away. "Ngh...hurts. Hidan that hurts..." He weakly grabbed me by my arms and tried to push me off. "Hidan, I said you're hurting me." His voice sounded more pissed than scared by this point.

I knew I was gonna regret it, but, I didn't stop. I continued to chew on his neck and squeeze his hips. I moved my mouth to his left shoulder and bit that as well. I started to move Itachi's pants down so I could dig my nails into his skin. I just couldn't get _enough. _

Itachi suddenly dug his fingernails into my arms and used all of his strength to slam me into the wall behind our bed. He was looking directly into my eyes with the coldest, expressionless face I'd ever seen. And he was staring at me with Mangekyo Sharingan eyes.

I gulped and went wide eyed. _"Oh shit."_

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><p>AN: I apologize for how long it took to get the second chapter finished! There was a lot going on in my personal life, both good and bad, and I just didn't have time.

Hopefully it keeps enough interest at this point; it's pretty different from what I usually write.

Story © Kaylin Street-Johnson

Hidan and Itachi Uchiha © Masashi Kishimoto


	3. Chapter 3

**Mild Violence caused by Tsukuyomi.  
><strong>

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><p><em>~Itachi's Point of View~<em>

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><p>I let go of all emotions and completely detached myself from Hidan. I risked inflicting further damage to myself by activating the Tsukuyomi; but Hidan had pushed things too far. "Tsukuyomi."<p>

_**Hidan was standing in the middle of a barren wasteland. He was barefoot; the ground beneath him scorching hot. He was unable to move, aside from his head, that is. "Ah, ouch, the ground is fucking hot!"**_

_**I stared at him indifferently. "You should have stopped when you had the chance, Hidan."**_

_**I stepped towards him slowly. "I am going to show you what true** **pain feels like. By the time **_

_**I end the Tsukuyomi, you're going to forget you ever enjoyed the feeling of pain."**_

_**Hidan's eyes went wide and he gulped. He just stared at me in shock. "W-Wait man, this ain't **_

_**cool! I'm sorry alright, that what you wanna hear? Huh? Just take it easy and calm down."**_

"_**I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, you wouldn't learn anything. You'd just ignore my feelings**_

_**again." With a blink of my eyes, there were now multiple swords piercing his sides. I was using**_

_**Kunai knives to stab and cut along his arms and legs. **_

_**He let out a menacing chuckle. "That the best ya got?"**_

_**I locked eyes with him. "Oh no Hidan, we've only just begun." I inflicted a Tsukuyomi version**_

_**of Amaterasu everywhere a blade pierced his skin. He was now being burned, cut , and stabbed **_

_**simultaneously. "This will last for three days. However; outside of the Tsukuyomi it will take**_

_**mere seconds." —**_

I broke the Tsukuyomi after the three days had ended. I deactivated my Sharingan and winced in pain; normal use of the Tsukuyomi wouldn't have been a bother, but... I made sure Hidan would be knocked out for a while. I removed myself from the bed and made my way to the bathroom. I shut and locked the door behind me before letting out a heavy sigh. I laid my weight against the bathroom door and closed my eyes. _"He's not so gentle after all..." _I sighed again.

After a few minutes of leaning against the door, I decided to get a nice, hot bath. I stripped down to nothing and left my clothes in a neat pile on the counter. I braced myself for the heat, before slowly sinking into the large tub. I let out a content sigh as all of my pain and anxiety went away. I closed my eyes and relaxed against the tub, which, lucky for me; was set up with it's own heater. So I didn't have to worry about cold water anytime soon.

Time passed by unnoticed. Comforting heat was all around me; easing all of the pain my illness had been causing. _"If Hidan hadn't been being such a jackass, I might have asked him to join me..."_ No sooner had that thought crossed my mind, I heard a quiet knock on the bathroom door.

"H-Hey, 'Tachi?" Hidan's voice was quiet and weak; it sounded rather pitiful, actually.

I sighed as my peaceful bliss had finally come to an end. "What?" I kept my voice even, but made sure a touch of hostility could be heard.

Hidan sighed behind the door. "...I really am sorry. I know I was being a complete jackass, and ignored your feelings. I'm a sadistic, self-centered, narcissistic bastard. I deserved every second of that Tsukuyomi."

I sighed when I found myself smiling at his apology. I slowly rose from the tub, but yelped when I slipped and fell back into it. "Nghff!" I realized I was feeling light-headed, and very dizzy. I sighed; way too much time in the tub.

Hidan knocked on the door again. "Hey man, are you okay?"

"Tch." I shook my head and carefully made my way out of the tub. "I must have been in the bath too long, just a little light-headed..." I was about to put on my _only_ pair of clothes, when I noticed a small closet. I wrapped a towel around my waist and walked over to inspect the contents of said closet. There were yukatas inside all of varying sizes. I set my eyes on a plain, black yukata that looked small enough for me to wear. After inspecting the size of it, I decided to change into it. _"This is very comfortable."_ Hidan suddenly crossed my mind, so I made my way to the door.

I slowly unlocked the door before opening it just as slowly. I peeked out and saw that Hidan was standing back towards the bed. I looked him up and down; he definitely looked tired, and mentally drained. _"Hmph, good." _I stood in the doorway to the bathroom and stared at him indifferently.

He gulped and scratched the side of his face. He stared at me nervously for several minutes before sighing. "Uhm...damn, Itachi I really am sorry. If you want me to go, I'll—"

I was wrapped around Hidan's body with my face pressed into his neck in mere seconds. "Hidan, shut up."

Hidan stopped talking and immediately wrapped his arms around me. "So...you don't want me to leave?"

I shook my head against his chest. "No." I peeked up at him. "I want you to lay down and hold me while you brush my hair. It will help me stay relaxed."

Hidan immediately looked relieved at my words. "Kay, I can do that." His usual grin returned to his face and he carefully scooped me up in his arms. He laid me down against one of the pillows and leaned in to place a kiss on my forehead, but hesitated.

I blinked. "Why did you stop?"

Hidan smiled sheepishly. "Well, I kind of thought, maybe you wouldn't want me to yet."

I sighed. "You can kiss me Hidan, but that's it. No biting, no scratching. Just be gentle with me; I'm suffering from a very serious illness, so I'm extremely fragile."

* * *

><p><em>~Hidan's Point of View~<em>

* * *

><p>I nodded slowly before placing my lips against his forehead. "Okay. I can be gentle." I carefully ran my fingers through his hair. "Do you have your own brush you want me to use, or just one from the bathroom?"<p>

He blinked a few times and shook his head. "I have a brush in one of my pouches. I'm not sure which one it's in though, you kind of have all of my stuff in a jumbled mess."

I chuckled. "Yeah, sorry about that. I'll find it." I got up and rummaged through his pouches. I found two hairbrushes, so I just grabbed one. The one I grabbed was a rather unique looking hairbrush. It was all black, with a crooked edged handle. On the underside of it was chipped silver paint in a child's handwriting. The brush seemed pretty worn, so it took a while for me to make out the characters for the word _Aniki_. I tilted my head and held the brush up to him. "Hey, this says Aniki, right? This some sorta keepsake or something?"

Itachi's eyes went wide for a moment and he frowned. "...I do not wish to speak of it." He took the brush from my hand and rolled over onto his side. "Use the other brush."

I blinked. _"...What'd I say?" _I hestitantly grabbed the other brush from his pouch and scooched closer to him. I laid him across my lap and began to gently brush his hair. _"Well, fuck me. His hair is unbelievably soft!"_ I couldn't believe how soft his hair was. "Alright man, your hair is too soft; it ain't fair to the rest of the world."

Itachi appeared unfazed by my joke at first, but after another minute he let out what must have been suppressed laughter. "It's probably due to the fact it's the only part of me that's healthy."

I couldn't help but chuckle at his morbid sense of humor. "Y'know, your sense of humor is kind of sick."

"Well yes, as am I." Itachi rolled over to look up at me, and he appeared much happier than he did a few minutes ago. He was obviously having a hard time holding in his laughter; which just made him look adorable.

I chuckled again and smiled sheepishly. I glanced down at his hands to see that he was gently holding his black brush. "Hey...uhm, would it be too much to ask you about that brush?" I sighed. "No, wait, shit... never mind, you already said you didn't want to talk about it...sorry."

Itachi let out a sigh of his own before holding the brush up to his face. He gently brushed a thumb over the worn out letters and frowned. "It was a gift from my younger brother...he hand painted the word _Aniki_ on it. He was only five at the time, it was when I had first started growing my hair out." He smiled fondly as he spoke. "I've kept it ever since, it's the only thing I have left from our childhood."

I knew I was going to regret prying further, but I couldn't stop my idiotic mouth from moving. "So, it's pretty special to you then, cause you're brother made it and all? I thought you killed your family because you were messed up and hated all of them. It's kind of odd that you still hold onto a gift from your brother."

He frowned at me, and all traces of happiness vanished from his face. He crawled off of me and made his way under the blankets. Itachi's back was to me and he sighed again. "I'm hungry, and I don't feel like talking anymore."

"Oh, okay. Yeah, I'll uh... get you somethin' to eat." I got off of the bed and got dressed. I made sure I had my money before heading for the door. I had gotten all the way down stairs and was about to leave the Inn, when something very important dawned on me: I don't know what Itachi likes to eat. "Ah, shit." Cursing myself, I walked all the way back up the stairs into the room Itachi and I were sharing. "Hey, dumb-ass me forgot to ask you what you wanted to eat."

Itachi slowly rolled over to face me. "Soup."

I stared at him dumbfounded. "Soup? Just soup?"

He nodded. "I've been throwing up for the past twelve hours Hidan, there's nothing else I'll be able to hold down."

"Ohhh, well yeah, guess that makes sense." I ran my fingers through my hair. "Alright, well, I'll be back with your soup." I turned around and made my way down to the first floor. _Again. _I shook my head and sighed. _"Something tells me I'm not boyfriend material..." _I slowly made my way to a small tea-house that was next to the Inn, as I was too lazy to walk very far. I approached the counter and smiled at the young girl who worked there. "Hey miss, my friend isn't feeling very well, and he's in the mood for some soup. You have anything that's easy for a person to hold down while having an upset stomach?"

She smiled back at him and nodded. "Of course, shall I put together a few quarts of vegetable soup and chicken soup?"

"Yeah, that'd be great." I smiled and nodded.

"All right sir, I'll have that ready in just a moment." She turned around and went into the back to prepare the soup. She was back within ten minutes and had two fresh quarts of vegetable soup along with two fresh quarts of chicken soup. "That will be 160 ryo, sir."

I nodded and happily placed the money on the counter, along with a little extra. "Thank you very much." I grabbed the soup and smiled at her. "You can keep the change, sweetheart."

She blinked and bowed in reply. "Thank you very much. Please come again."

"_Boy I sure hope Itachi likes this soup..." _That was the only thought running through my head as I walked back to the Inn. I made sure to open the door to mine and Itachi's room quietly, in case he was sleeping.

My raven-haired comrade was sitting on the balcony staring out at the beautiful view. The gentle breeze was blowing Itachi's hair across his face, but he didn't seem to mind. The blanket from the bed was wrapped loosely around his shoulders.

I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself to not be an idiot. I walked out onto the balcony and cleared my throat. "Hey, uhm, ya want vegetable or chicken?" I held up the two paper bags in my hands to show him.

He blinked a few times and then sighed. "Is there beef in with the vegetable?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm not sure. Lemme check." I turned around and walked over to the bedside table. I carefully set down the bags containing Itachi's soup on the table. I inspected the vegetable soup to find there was indeed beef mixed in. Leaving the soup behind, I returned to the balcony with a cheery smile on my face. "Yo, there is a bunch of beef in with the vegetable soup!"

Itachi frowned at me. "...Then I'll have chicken soup. You can have the vegetable soup..."

I cocked my head to the side. "Huh? What's the matter? I thought...you wanted beef...?"

He shook his head and sighed. "No Hidan, I dislike steak and any other form of beef... I suppose it's my fault for not telling you. I'm used to Kisame knowing what I like to eat without me having to say anything..."

I dropped my head and let out a sigh of defeat. _"Fuck."_

* * *

><p>AN: Well here is the next chapter! Poor Hidan, it started off so well. Now he's just digging himself a bigger hole.

And thank you for the lovely reviews, it really helps keep me motivated!

Story © Kaylin Street-Johnson

Hidan and Itachi Uchiha © Masashi Kishimoto


	4. Chapter 4

_~Hidan's Point of View~_

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><p>I frowned at Itachi. "Man, I'm just digging myself a deeper hole, ain't I?" I went and grabbed the chicken soup and the plastic spoon that came with it. I brought it out to Itachi and slowly handed it to him. "I think you need to have a talk with your feelings and tell them everything that's wrong about liking me..."<p>

Itachi smiled faintly. "Then, I suppose if our feelings are mutual, you should have a similar conversation with yourself; I come with a lot of baggage. Most of which, I intend to take with me to my grave. Which is why, I'm going to tell you up front; I have secrets, and if you're not willing to except my personal space and privacy, then platonic we shall remain."

I blinked and then nodded in understanding. "Okay, gotcha. I'm used to people having secrets, and I kind of feel like the Akatsuki is a place where we can all be horrible, miserable bastards and still make friends without judgment. Unless, y'know, your partner is Kakuzu. That guy is all sorts of judgment."

Itachi chuckled softly at my remark and his mood seemed to improve. "Thank you, by the way... for the soup." He said quietly before slowly digging into his food.

I sat down next to him with the vegetable soup and smiled. "Yeah, no problem. Name anything you want, and it's yours." I smirked at him. "Unless it's y'know, like a star, or the moon, or the sun, cause those I can't give you."

My raven-haired comrade nearly spit his soup out, and instead began to choke on it. His mood was much better than before, so he was laughing at my stupid jokes again. "Hidan, not while I'm eating, please." He frowned at me, but his eyes betrayed him; they were full of amusement.

I laughed menacingly and gave him a smug look. "But you're so cute when your laughter causes you to choke. Especially if it was caused by my stupid jokes." I scooched closer and placed a gentle peck on his right cheek. "Are you feeling any better?"

He laid his head down against my shoulder and sighed. "Well, at the very least, I don't feel the need to throw up excessive amounts of blood anymore."

"Well that's good, I s'ppose." I kissed the top of his head gently. "Now, eat your soup before it gets cold. I didn't walk all the way next door for nothing y'know."

His lips formed a smile against my shoulder and he sat up after a moment. He resumed eating his soup at a slow pace, and before long, he had finished half of it. He put the lid back on the container and set it down on the bench beside him. "All right, I think that's all I can handle at the moment..."

I on the other hand, had pretty much devoured the entire two quarts of vegetable soup. "Okie dokie. Lemme just take care of that for you." I took his container and spoon and put it down on the bedside table. I returned to the balcony and tilted my head at him. "Y'know, we don't have a fridge or anything to keep the soup fresh, or to even heat it back up."

He sighed. "I usually just pick off of Kisame's plate, so I guess if you want the rest of the chicken soup, you can eat that too."

My eyes lit up. "Oh great, cause I'm still kind of hungry. I'll be right back." I hurried off to the bed and quickly finished the rest of the chicken soup. _"Damn, that was some good soup." _I walked back out and plopped down next to Itachi. "Thanks man!" I gave him a sheepish grin as I patted my stomach.

He gave a small smile before yawning softly. He blinked his eyes a few times and yawned again. He glanced over at me and eyed my chest for a moment before bringing his gaze up to meet mine. "Hidan..."

"All yours." I replied knowingly.

Itachi moved closer and curled up against my chest. He tucked himself deep into the blanket and nestled his face into the crook of my neck. "I'm sorry I keep going to sleep... I promise I'll be good to go in another day."

I ran my fingers through his hair. "Shush, you're fine. It's not often I get to relax like this, and it's kind of nice to have someone to take care of." After another ten minutes of playing with his hair, I heard his breathing even out. _"Ah good, he managed to fall asleep." _I sat there for a while enjoying the warm breeze, before I too, gave in to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>~Itachi's Point of View~<em>

* * *

><p>I wasn't sure how long I'd been asleep, but it didn't feel long enough by the time I opened my eyes. I glanced around and noticed I was back in bed. I frowned when I realized Hidan was no where in sight. "Hidan?"<p>

He popped his head out of the bathroom. "Oh hey, you're awake. Everything okay?"

I immediately felt relieved, but shook my head in reply. "I'm cold." Although I wasn't particularly _warm_, I wasn't very cold either.

Hidan smiled softly and nodded. "Kay, lemme finish cleaning up and I'll be right there." He emerged a few minutes later in one of the other yukatas. His was a dull grey color and it fit him perfectly. He crawled into the bed next to me. "Man, these sure are comfy."

I looked at him and then the yukata, and back up at his face. "Are you, wearing pants under your yukata?"

Hidan chuckled. "Of course man, don't worry, I wasn't gonna go commando on you."

I didn't even hesitate to crawl over and remove his yukata. I threw it onto the floor and snuggled up against Hidan's bare chest. His warmth was so incredible and I let out a content sigh. "Hmm, this is better _and_ warmer." I completely relaxed against Hidan so that he was fully supporting my body weight. I closed my eyes and nuzzled into him.

"Hey! What're you doing?" He chuckled softly. "I guess I'm just not meant to cover up this gorgeous chest, huh?"

I smiled against his skin and shook my head. "No. You're warm, and comfortable. And I can hear your heart beat better." I couldn't help but let out another content sigh. "I want to go back to sleep, but I don't want to be alone."

Hidan sighed. "I'm starting to think that you weren't cold at all, and you just suckered me into holding you while you sleep the day away." His entire voice was laced with amusement.

I tried to hold back my smile, but failed miserably. "Precisely." I pulled up on the blanket to wrap it around Hidan and myself. I leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "I rarely sleep as it is; I always let Kisame sleep while I keep watch. So..." I lowered my gaze. "Please...?" My voice was quiet; weak, even.

Hidan sighed in defeat. "Well how the hell can I say no to that face and that voice?" He gently lifted my chin to look me in the eyes. He returned my kiss and then placed a gentle one on my forehead. "Rest up, 'Tachi. I want this mission to go so well that we'll be assigned even _more_ missions together." He wrapped his arms around me and cradled me against his chest. He placed another gentle kiss on the top of my head before nuzzling into my hair.

I sighed contently and yawned softly against his skin. "Understood." I smiled happily to myself; Hidan was far too easy to manipulate. I closed my eyes and sighed again. "You'll still be here when I wake up, right?"

Hidan chuckled. "Would you shut up and go the fuck to sleep already? Geez, you talk like you're tired all the time, but all you want to do is stay up and talk." He laughed again as he teased me.

I huffed against his chest. "You didn't answer my question you know..." I peeked up at him with one eye open and a hopeful smile on my face.

He sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be here when the little weasel wakes up. But in order for that to happen, said weasel has gotta sleep first."

I laughed against his chest and closed my eye again. "Okay, okay." I made sure I was comfortable against his chest before allowing sleep to take over once again.

* * *

><p>I was forced awake by something very bright shining on me. I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head. "It <em>can't<em> be morning already..."

Hidan chuckled beside me. "Hate to burst your bubble there princess, but, it is morning." He lifted the blanket and smiled at me. "It's actually pretty damn early, like six. So all that napping yesterday really did the trick; this is the earliest I've woken up on my own."

I groaned again. "I'm happy for you. Now please turn off the sun, it's too bright."

Hidan laughed again. "Aw come on, how about we go out and get some fresh air?"

"We got fresh air yesterday when we napped on the balcony." I said in a flat tone.

He scoffed. "Well, it's not like _more_ fresh air is going to _kill_ you. Let's get up outta bed and get some breakfast. It'll do you some good to walk around a bit. It'll also give us a chance to see where you're at health wise. So stop being a lazy ass." Hidan chuckled at the last sentence. "But I'll give you credit for trying." He pulled me up into a sitting position and kissed my temple.

"Fine." I sighed before placing my head against his shoulder. "But I'm getting cleaned up first." Unwillingly, I removed myself from the bed and walked into the bathroom. I stripped down and got into the tub. Inn tubs were always much nicer, for they were practically small, artificial hot springs. I heard Hidan sigh from the other room.

"Yo, Uchiha, are you seriously taking a fucking bath?" He got up and made his way into the bathroom. "You're just prolonging the time you spend indoors, aren't ya?"

I turned around to look at him and scoffed. "...Yes." I could feel my face heat up. _"I...forgot to shut the door."_

Hidan smirked at me before moving closer. He reached over to the bathroom counter and grabbed a small bottle of shampoo. He gestured for me to turn around, and waited for me to comply. He got down on his knees and began to gently massage the shampoo through my hair. "Y'know, I'm starting to think I'm easy to manipulate. I keep treating you like a damn prince."

I was far too busy enjoying the rough, calloused hands that were massaging my scalp to hear what Hidan had said. "Nngh..." I closed my eyes and relaxed against the back of the tub. "If you keep that up, I'm going to fall asleep again..."

Hidan chuckled softly. "I'm just trying to keep you relaxed and pain free." He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the top of my head. "It's nice to have someone that brings out the gentle side in me. And, it's not like you and I have ever really had the chance to get to know each other. Or interact with each other before now. And sure, there's been lots of times I see you in the base, and think; damn, he's so hot. But now, it's like, damn; he's letting me shampoo his hair."

I smiled at his words and then found myself laughing a moment later. "Well, I've never had another person shampoo my hair before now. But now I don't think I could go without it." I leaned back to look up at him. "Your hands really do feel am—" My words were cut short by firm lips being pressed against mine. "Nnghf."

Hidan kissed me for a few moments before pulling away. "Wow, my first upside down kiss; that was pretty hot." He smiled down at me with a look of amusement on his face.

I felt my face heating up, and I sank down into the tub. I bit my lower lip for a moment, something I did out of habit when I felt anxious.

Hidan chuckled softly before placing a gentle kiss on my forehead. "Okay. Now, rinse your hair and get that pretty little ass of yours outta the tub. I'm starving!" His face suddenly went red and he scratched the side of his neck. "Uhm, no wait, that sounded wrong. I mean...get out of the tub so we can go eat food. At...a restaurant..."

I immediately burst into laughter. It was honestly the funniest thing I'd seen in a very long time. Who knew Hidan could get embarrassed? I couldn't contain my laughter and soon had to cover my mouth.

I finally got my laughter under control, and began to hold my stomach. "Ah...thank you Hidan. I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard."

Hidan smiled shyly at me. "Heh...uh, sure thing. No problem..." He cleared his throat. "Hey listen, I'll just, uhm, wait by the bed." He turned on his heel and started to leave the bathroom.

I spun around and leaned over the tub before grabbing his wrist. "Hidan, wait."

* * *

><p>AN: So here we have the next chapter! I think Hidan is on his way to redeem himself~

Story © Kaylin Street-Johnson

Hidan and Itachi Uchiha © Masashi Kishimoto


	5. Chapter 5

_~Itachi's Point of View~_

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><p>I surprised myself when I grabbed Hidan's wrist. As we locked eyes, I stared at him pleadingly. "Hidan..." I willed myself to speak up. "Join me?"<p>

Hidan stared at me in disbelief. "Really?"

I nodded. "It's just a bath. It will lessen the time it takes for us to get ready for breakfast. This way is more efficient, and besides, you said it yourself; you never get to just relax. So... please?"

Hidan's expression softened. "Well damn. When you say it like _that, _how can I say no?" He moved to the other side of the tub and stripped down. He quickly made his way into the tub and sighed upon hitting the water. "Wow, yup, I'm already sold. This is fan-fucking-tastic."

I smiled a little and tilted my head to the side. "Didn't you take a bath yesterday when I was taking a nap?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I just washed up using a cloth and the sink."

I blinked. "You've got to be kidding?"

He scratched the side of his face and chuckled. "Ah, nope. I guess I'm still used to the way things are when I'm with Kakuzu. We rarely stay at Inns, and when we do, they're really cheap, crappy ones. So most of the time we rely on streams and rain to wash up."

I frowned at him. _"His and Kakuzu's relationship is much different than mine and Kisame's..."_ I wasn't aware I'd been thinking about that for a few minutes, until I was splashed in the face. I blinked and looked at him. "What was that for?"

Hidan smiled at me and shook his head. "You frowned at me and sorta spaced out. You feel okay?"

"Huh? Oh." I returned his smile. "Forgive me, I was just thinking about how your relationship with Kakuzu differs from mine and Kisame's. It seems like you don't get along very well, and even get mistreated by him. Whereas, I've been with Kisame since I was a child, so... he's been partially responsible for raising me."

"Wait what? You've been in the Akatsuki since you were a kid? Like, how old?" He seemed genuinely surprised, and eagerly awaited my answer.

I chuckled at his response. "I was about thirteen or so when I first joined."

Hidan seemed to be at a loss for words. He looked rather adorable while trying to comprehend what I had just said. His mouth was open ever so slightly; which just furthered his cuteness.

I smiled and leaned in to place a quick, but gentle kiss on his lips. I pulled away and slowly got out of the tub. I wrapped a towel around my waist and chuckled. "Hidan, you coming, or what?"

He shook his head and blinked a few times. "Oh yeah, I just, wow. I can't believe you joined the Akatsuki at such a young age." He stood up a little too quickly and jumped out of the tub. Which, just made him slide right into me. He knocked me down and toppled over me. "Ow, fuck!"

My back collided roughly with the floor; nearly knocking the wind out of me. The two of us laid there stunned for a moment. "Hn...Hidan, I can't breathe. So, if you're okay, could you get off of me?"

Hidan sighed and shook his head. "Fuck! I'm dizzy."

I huffed. "Probably because you're not used to being in hot water like that, and you stood up too fast." I groaned and tried to shift out from under him. "Hidan, it really is getting difficult to breathe..."

He rolled over so he was only laying across half of me. He nuzzled his face into my bare chest and sighed. "Gimme a sec..."

The world seemed to stop in that moment. The two of us laid there, soaking wet, mind you; for what must have been another twenty minutes. The warmth of our skin keeping the other from getting too cold. For the first time since either of us could remember, we were both in a content silence. The only sounds to be heard were our breathing and our heart beats. After a few more minutes, however; Hidan began to tremble against me. I wrapped my arms around him and placed a gentle kiss on his head. "Hidan, you're freezing. We need to get up and get dressed before we're _both_ ill."

Hidan sighed and reluctantly got up; allowing me to wrap a towel around his trembling form. He pressed his face back into my chest. "No fair, I'm supposed to be taking care of you..."

I directed him towards the bed and chuckled softly. I picked through his clothes and found something that should be comfortable enough for him to wear. "Here." I handed him his clothes and went back into the bathroom to grab mine. I walked back out a minute later to find Hidan fully dressed on the bed. I smiled softly and took a seat beside him. I placed a gentle kiss on his temple. "You know...part of being in a relationship is taking turns looking out for each other..." I placed another kiss on his temple and smiled as he let out a content sigh.

* * *

><p><em>~Hidan's Point of View~ <em>

* * *

><p>Itachi and I had stayed on the bed for a while longer before we finally went out to eat. We had a very nice breakfast together at a small tea house. My darling weasel had laughed at literally <em>all<em> of my jokes. Afterwards, I took him shopping, because let's face it; the man has _one_ pair of clothes. One. I mean, that's just sad. He only has the Akatsuki uniform to wear everyday of his life.

He had of course, objected to almost everything I had picked out for him. He didn't like the form fitting clothing I was showing him, and refused to try anything on that wasn't two sizes too big for him. He finally settled on some nice sweat pants and matching sweaters. All black, naturally.

We stayed away from the Inn for most of the day. It wasn't until we had finished eating dinner that Itachi let on how tired he really was. He'd nearly fallen asleep at the table, and apologetically asked if we could go back to our room. After telling him for the _tenth_ time it was okay; we both went to bed.

* * *

><p>I awoke to the sun beating down on my face. I slowly blinked my eyes open and smiled. Itachi was still fast asleep against my chest; which is exactly where he'd been when we fell asleep last night. I carefully ran my fingers through his hair a few times before massaging his scalp just as carefully. <em>"He looks so peaceful when he sleeps." <em>

Itachi began to press his head up into my hand, nearly purring in the process. He yawned softly before sighing contently against my chest. "I could get used to waking up like this." He sat up and looked down at me with a small smile on his face.

I sat up and returned his smile. "Well, as long as Kisame isn't gonna feed me to Samehada; I'll gladly wake up _early_ just to wake you up like I just did."

He laid his head down against my shoulder and yawned again. "Hidan..." He let out another sigh, but this one didn't sound like the happy kind. "We...should probably head out for the Land of Iron now..."

His face was pressed into my skin so his words were kind of muffled. Which, just made him sound adorable as fuck.

I placed a kiss on his head. "Yeah, because if you stay there much longer, I may just feel like abandoning the mission." I chuckled at the mere _idea_ of what Pein and Kakuzu would do to me if I did that.

Itachi sighed again and pulled away. He got off of the bed and collected all of his things. He went into the bathroom and shut the door. He returned ten minutes later fully dressed in his Akatsuki gear. His Sharingan was activated as well, which clearly meant he was ready to go.

"Ah, guess I probably shoulda gotten ready while you were in the bathroom." I chuckled and ran a hand through my hair. "Whoops." It only took a few minutes for me to get dressed, but longer to put all of my stuff in an orderly fashion. "Alright! I'm ready to go, so let's get this show on the road!" I was just about to open the door when I was flipped around and pressed against it. My eyes went wide as I stared at Itachi. "H-Hey—"

Itachi cupped the collar of my Akatsuki cloak and pressed our lips together. He began to kiss me softly,before slowly turning it into a more heated kiss. This lasted several minutes before he finally pulled away. He let out a shaky breath and sighed. "I needed one last kiss before we turned back into heartless shinobi for the sake of our mission."

I continued to stare wide eyed at him and then blinked a few times. "O-Oh, I see..." I could feel my face getting hot, which was unusual for me; I'm not usually the blushing type. "Well, that was one hell of a kiss."

He let out another shaky breath. "All right, we can get going now." He backed away and gestured for me to open the door.

"Right!" I opened the door and off we went. We walked side by side throughout the village. Neither of us were really talking at the moment. People were staring at us, which kind of made me feel like a celebrity. But I knew Itachi wouldn't want the extra attention, so I stayed quiet. Which is why the second we were out of the village, I decided to resume being my loud, obnoxious self. "Alright! Watch out Land of Iron, here we come!"

Itachi chuckled softly and shook his head. "You've been waiting this entire time to yell that at the top of your lungs, haven't you?"

I let out a chuckle of my own. "Well yeah man! I can't stay quiet for too long, the world might forget about me." This earned another laugh from Itachi, and I smiled. We slowly made our way towards the Land of Iron. And when I say slow, I mean _slow._ After hours and hours of endless walking I couldn't take it anymore. Itachi had barely spoken all day, and I was actually getting _tired_ of hearing _myself_ speak. "Hey, 'Tachi?"

Itachi looked over at at me for a moment before turning his attention to the road again. "Yes, Hidan?"

I pursed my lips for a moment. "How long do you think it will take for us to get to the Land of Iron?"

Itachi took a deep breath and sighed. "Well, that depends on which way we go. If we were to cut north through the Land of Fire, we could be there in two days. But, if we go around the Land of Fire, it would take three to five days to reach the Land of Iron." He looked over at me again. "I'm all right either way, but I don't think it would be wise to travel through the Land of Fire..."

I tilted my head at him and stopped walking. "Well, I mean, we don't have a set time limit on the mission, so I mean, we could just go around." I thought it over a minute and realized he looked a little sad. "What's wrong?"

He sighed and shook his head. "I would prefer not to go through Sound territory... Which is just north of the Land of Fire."

I considered asking him about it, but decided against it. He said he had secrets after all, so I wasn't going to pry. Especially when he already looked so sad. "Okay, I guess we'll go around then. It'll give us more time together." I couldn't resist the urge to kiss those pouting lips. I walked right over to him and pecked him gently.

His eyes went wide and he jumped. "Hidan..." He sighed. "It's imperative that we continue walking until night falls. So, wait until we make camp later, all right?"

I huffed. "Okay, okay." I stole another kiss before hurrying ahead of him.

"Hey! What did I just say?" Sounding more embarrassed than annoyed; Itachi hurried after me.

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><p><em>~Itachi's Point of View~<em>

* * *

><p>Hidan had rushed ahead of me so quickly that it took me several minutes to catch up. Once I caught up to him, he was leaning against a tree holding his stomach as a fit of laughter washed over him. I frowned at him. "Are you quite done yet?" I was looking away from him; I knew I was blushing.<p>

He stopped laughing after another moment. "Sorry, sorry, I couldn't resist. You're too damn kissable."

I huffed. "Let's just get moving..." I shuffled ahead of him and kept my eyes on the road. _"He's going to make focusing on this mission difficult..." _I peeked over at him for a second. I sighed and returned to looking ahead of me. _"Oh yes... **extremely** difficult."_

I was walking as fast as I could without tiring myself out. I wanted nothing more than for it to be night and for us to make camp somewhere. _"Ah, I can hardly wait for him to fall asleep while I keep watch. I'll be able to huddle up against his chest and listen to his heart beat for the entire night." _I let out a sigh. I continued to stay lost in my thoughts, not really paying any mind to what Hidan was saying, nor what I was seeing.

Hidan cleared his throat. "Hey, y'know we've been walking with nothing but the moon as light for about twenty minutes, right?"

I blinked and stopped in my tracks. I looked over at him and tilted my head. "What?"

Hidan shook his head. "This means we can set up camp now, right...?" He looked like a hopeful little puppy.

I smiled apologetically. "Forgive me, Hidan. It's not like me to zone out my surroundings." I shook my head and deactivated my Sharingan. "And yes, we may set up camp now—!" I yelped in surprise as I was suddenly tackled to the ground.

Hidan had jumped me and knocked me deeper into the forest. We were well hidden by various bushes and tree trunks; but he didn't seem to care either way. He kissed me with as much passion as I had earlier at the Inn. He then placed several kisses all over my face.

I squirmed slightly and decided to just give into my laughter. "Hidan..."

Hidan chuckled and placed another kiss on my lips. "I told you before Itachi; you're just too damn kissable."

* * *

><p>AN: Here is the next chapter. I decided to do a bit of time skipping, which I'll also do in the next chapter at some point so that they can move ahead on their mission.

Also, I have a deviantART and a tumblr, both of which are under the username Tabitha-Grace

I've been sketching up a few scenes from this fan fic, so if any of you ever want to see something, feel free to leave some suggestions. ^^

Story © Kaylin Street-Johnson

Hidan and Itachi Uchiha © Masashi Kishimoto


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